Stolen Bonds
by TheGraey1
Summary: The dust has settled after Pain's invasion and Hinata goes to speak to Naruto about her confession. Too bad Naruto's reaction is the worst thing possible. A NaruHina story where Ino plays a major part in uncovering a crime against Naruto. Some AU stuff.
1. Chapter 1

**Stolen Bonds**

by

Chad 'Graeystone' Harger

Chapter 1

xxxxx

Hinata took a breath to calm herself. It was easy at first telling Naruto how she felt about him. She felt no pain as Pain injured her. Her feelings at that moment were stronger than any injury or fear. Later Hinata was proud for Naruto to be accepted by the village. Hinata purposely kept her distance to give them both time to think about what happened in that moment. She herself was busy worrying about her father and sister who not returned from their mission for another two weeks. When they returned and saw the devastated village, Hiashi did not say anything for days and for the first time Hinata saw her stoic little sister cry. Hinata spent her time helping her clan rebuild what they lost. Over time things quieted down for her clan and the village. With some days off Hinata decided to finally talk to Naruto.

Hinata meditated for most of the morning and did her best to keep herself calm while standing in front of Naruto's apartment building. Jumping into that fight was easier than starting a heart to heart talk with the man she loved. Hinata gathered her courage and knocked on the apartment door. She heard thumping sounds from inside. Hinata was worried something happened to him.

"Just a second!" yelled Naruto from inside.

Naruto opened the door. He was rubbing his left shoulder.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" asked Hinata with concern.

"I banged my shoulder trying a new Taijutsu technique," answered Naruto with a weak laugh.

"I-I did not mean to interrupt," said Hinata with embarrassment.

"It's fine," said Naruto. "Come on in."

"T-thank you," said Hinata.

She went in and was proud she was doing good so far. She only stuttered twice and no fainting spells came over her. So far so good she thought to herself.

Hinata went inside Naruto's apartment and her heart went out to him. The majority of ninjas lived a spartan lifestyle. Naruto had less than that. The only sign he owned something else besides the bare essentials was a photo of Team Seven on a small table. Next to the picture a plastic vase with elaborate paper flowers in it. A picture without a frame of Naruto's new team drawn by Sai was tacked to the wall.

"Have a seat," said Naruto. "I ran out of tea. I have some drinks in the fridge."

"Water is fine," said Hinata.

Hinata sat at Naruto's dinner table. It was the only place to sit besides a dusty and beat up sofa. Hinata roughed it in the outdoors plenty of times but she still had her pride. She also did not want to be that close to Naruto just yet. Naruto sat across from Hinata. "What brings a pretty girl like you here?"

Hinata fought like hell to keep her head from lowering in shyness. "Naruto-kun we need to talk about what I did when you fought Pain. What I said and how I felt and will always feel."

"You were there?" asked Naruto. "Most of the fight is a blur but I would have remembered you."

Hinata's hand shook as she put the cup down. "D-don't you remember w-why you became the m-monster?"

"Pain pushed me over the edge. I couldn't handle what he was saying and I just lost it," said Naruto.

Hinata's world and feelings turned to shattered pieces. It was the worst thing that happened. Hinata was prepared for him to say he did not love her and they remained good friends. Naruto not remembering her brief involvement was too much for her.

Forgetting to push back her chair Hinata stood up fast and banged her knee against the table. Her glass fell over and the water poured out. Hinata looked at the water on the table. She would have cleaned it up but the suffocating feeling in her heart was too much and she had to get out of there.

"Don't leave," said Naruto.

Naruto grabbed Hinata's shoulder to stop her. "Don't touch me!" yelled Hinata. She instinctively jabbed Naruto's bicep with a Gentle Touch technique. Naruto pulled his arm back and ran out of the apartment.

Naruto closed the door and got a cloth to clean up the spilled water. "Who was that odd girl?" he asked himself while cleaning up the mess.

xxxxx

Ino walked to the exit of Shikamaru's family forest with a bag full of herbs and plants. When Pain destroyed the village most of the medical equipment and supplies went with it. The surrounding forests survived the attack so it was not a total loss. The lack of equipment made things harder. With natural cures many illnesses can be taken care of. Ino's knowledge of botany from working in the family's flower shop and her medical training Ino volunteered to make sure the newly rebuilt hospital was stocked while Sakura and Shizune went to other villages and cities to buy more available medicine.

At the forest entrance Ino felt the presence of another person. She looked around and heard the faint sound of crying. She followed the sounds of crying to the source. Hinata sat against a tree and was crying and shaking. Ino never saw Hinata in this state before. When Neji was beating her to death Hinata refused to cry or waver. Ino had new found respect for the mousy timid girl who refused to stay down. To see her like this was a shock.

"Hinata did something happen?" asked Ino.

Hinata jerked and looked up with closed eyes. Her face was wet with tears. "O-h I-I-Ino-san."

Ino sat down beside Hinata. "Boy trouble by the name of Naruto."

"Y-y-you cannot see me like t-t-his," said Hinata.

"I won't tell anyone," said Ino. "You finally told him you feel."

"Y-y-yes," said Hinata.

"Naruto doesn't love you like you thought he would or was never interested," added Ino.

"I-i-it was worse," said Hinata.

"How can it be worse than that?" asked Ino.

"He didn't recognize me. It was as if he saw me for the first time," answered Hinata.

Ino was stunned. She knew the stories between Hinata and Naruto. Ino was there during the mess with Neji. There was a rumor that Hinata offered to help Naruto cheat during the Chunin test. Most recent was Hinata jumping into Naruto's fight with Pain. Everyone in the village knew how Hinata felt. Ino realized the only one who did not know was Naruto.

Ino felt uncomfortable talking to Hinata while her eyes were closed. "Open your eyes," said Ino.

"You don't want-

"No arguments," interrupted Ino.

Hinata opened her left eye. The white of her eyes were pure blood red.

"Your eye!" said Ino.

"It is bloodshot from crying so much. The Hyuuga do not let outsiders see this part of us. It becomes uneasy for us and them," explained Hinata after closing her eye. "I wanted to get home before my crying got too bad. Even with Byakugan I was too flustered to make my way home. Shikamaru's family forest was closer." She blushed and added, "I hope Shikamaru-kun will not be angry."

Ino stifled a laugh. Shikamaru and his family acted tough about protecting their forest from intruders. They did not mind if villagers entered as long as they did not make a mess of it. It was against invaders that they had no mercy. Ino took a key from her bag and put it in Hinata's hand.

"Shikamaru won't mind because we won't tell him. My parents are away on a mission and won't be back for a couple of days," said Ino. "You can use my room to rest. I'll guide you there."

Hinata stood up with a thoughtful look on her face. "Byakugan. I can find my way." She faced Ino and bowed politely and said, "Thank you Ino-kun."

"You're welcome," said Ino.

Ino picked up her bag and headed to the hospital. Each step she took she became angrier by the second for what Naruto did. Finishing her errands she told herself she would make Naruto remember Hinata even if she had to beat him to a pulp to do it.

xxxxx

Naruto walked down a street with Shikamaru and Choji talking about the things they did during the three years Naruto was away.

"The con was that this group would set up a food eating contest and rip off villagers," Shikamaru said to Naruto. "The plan was for Choji to pose as a villager. Choji purposely reduced his mass to look like he couldn't eat a piece of fruit. I was surprised the con artists fells for it."

"And I won of course," said Choji. "Best mission ever!"

Naruto laughed and said, "You'll love this one. Pervy Sage pissed off a bunch of kunoichi and-

Naruto stopped in mid step and his body went rigid. The other two took extra steps before realizing Naruto stopped walking. They turned to Naruto who stood stiff. "Naruto?" asked Shikamaru.

"You're using your shadow thingy on me," said Naruto.

"No," said Shikamaru.

"You're a dead man Naruto!" yelled Ino from behind.

She ran up to Naruto and punched him the face and his head snapped back.

"What the hell!" said Choji.

"This is for Hinata and what you did to her!" screamed Ino.

She punched Naruto in stomach. He could not bend over or have any internal reflex. He hacked to keep his gag reflex quiet.

"That's enough!" ordered Shikamaru.

"Not until this asshole apologizes to Hinata," said Ino.

"Who is Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Choji half coughed up a chip he was in the middle of swallowing. Shikamaru was too stunned for words. One way or another they either witnessed or heard the stories concerning Hinata and Naruto.

Ino grabbed Naruto by his shoulders. "You. . ." said Ino whose anger and voice trailed off. She saw Naruto's eyes flicker back and forth. "You. . .it can't be," she said.

Naruto went limp and Ino helped to stand. In a rarity she said bowed and apologized.

"Could someone tell me what is going on?" he asked. He started to to rub his bicep. "Damn it you really hurt me. What did you do to me?"

"I used a mental technique from my clan to keep you from moving," said Ino. "Let me see your arm."

"So you can rip it off," said Naruto.

Ino did not have to see Naruto's arm to heal it but it would be easier. She placed a hand over his arm and sensed a few chakra points were blocked. It was from Gentle Fist. Tsunade taught her to sense the signs. "How did you hurt your arm?" she asked.

"Must have pulled a muscle while training," said Naruto.

Ino frowned as Naruto's eyes again batted back and forth. She unblocked the chakra points as best as she could. "There's no real damage. Rest your arm for the day and it'll be fine by morning. If you'll excuse me I need to talk to my teammates."

"Ok," said Naruto who was not sure what happening. "I'll see you guys later."

"I have a question before you go," said Ino.

"Make it short," said Naruto with irritation.

"Why did you fight Neji?" asked Ino.

"He was a jerk who kept going on about destiny and kept saying a loser is always a loser," said Naruto.

"Was that the only reason?" continued Ino.

"Not that I can think of," answered Naruto. "You guys were there."

Shikamaru and Choji stood there with their mouths wide open. They were witnesses to both fights and the story was practically a legend among the Genin. Hinata's dried blood was still in the arena left as a sign of a Genin who refused to give up.

"That was close," said Ino after Naruto was out of listening range. "Should have known that was case."

"I'd like an explanation," said Shikamaru. "First you're about to beat him to a pulp then stop and did I hear him say he didn't know who Hinata was. She was one of the reason why he fought Neji. How the hell could he forget that?"

Ino looked at her friends. Her face was filled with a disturbed expression. "You're right Shikamaru. Naruto has no memories whatsoever of Hinata."

_**To be continued . . .**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Stolen Bonds**

by

Chad 'Graeystone' Harger

Chapter 2

xxxxx

Ino told her teammates that Naruto has no personal memories of Hinata.

"No memories of a particular person," said Shikamaru.

"Is that possible?" asked Choji.

"Yes it is," said Ino. "Between feeling inadequate to avenge Asuma and his dying request for me, I started serious training in my clan's mental abilities. What I learned and am now capable of is frightening. What happened to Naruto is proof of it."

"Someone directly assaulted his mind. A genjutsu," said Shikamaru.

"It could be that. It can also be a degenerative disease that affects the memory. He could also be that big of an idiot," explained Ino.

"He is an idiot," said Choji while munching a chip.

"But not that kind of idiot," said Shikamaru with concern. "He considers us Rookies life long friends."

"That leaves a disease or an attack. I hope it's a disease because that can be handled easier and perhaps curable," said Ino. "An attack leaves too many problems to handle. If it was an attack of some kind then it's a miracle nothing worse has happened."

"What's worse than losing memories?" asked Choji.

"Mental booby traps," said Ino. "His intelligence could be wiped out leaving him an invalid or in a vegetative state. I can think of ten other horrible things that can happen and three of them make being an invalid look nice. The trigger can be something that is said to Naruto or it could be a stray thought on his part."

Choji asked what kind of person would do that. Ino said she was not sure it was an attack and that jumping to conclusions could be dangerous for Naruto. "Precautions still need to be made," said Ino. "I'm going to talk to Hinata and tell her not to go near Naruto or talk to him. Then I'm going to try and get a look at Naruto's medical history."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Shikamaru. He was the leader of the group but he knew better than to try and intrude on the expertise of his teammates.

"Nothing," said Ino. "If you see Naruto later and asks about why I attacked him make something up or better yet, let him tell the story. It's better if you don't have any contact with him until I discover the cause."

"Should the Hokage know?" asked Choji.

"Either way I'll give Tsunade-sama a report," said Ino. "For now the fewer people that know the better."

xxxxx

Ino visited Hinata to make sure she was alright and to deliver the bad news. Ino said she would do her best to find out what the cause of Naruto's memory loss. Ino instructed Hinata not to mention this to him or anyone else as it could make matters worse for Naruto. Ino was thankful Hinata did not ask unnecessary questions. The hard part was to tell Hinata that if the cause was found and Naruto was fixed there was no guarantee the memories could be recovered. Hinata smiled and said it was fine as long as Naruto was okay.

Ino next stop was to see Tsunade. This part would be more difficult. Naruto's health records were sealed by the Fourth and Third Hokages. The seal was not of a jutsu but an order from people who once wielded the power to make that kind of declaration. Only another Hokage or Naruto could give permission to unseal the records.

"Tsunade-sensei, I would like to request permission to access Naruto's health records," said Ino.

"What is wrong with him?" asked Tsunade getting right to the point.

"I can't say," said Ino. "For now I'm his personal physician."

"Not good enough," said Tsunade. "Unless I hear the reason I won't unseal his records."

"I can't tell you because of confidentiality between patient and healer," said Ino.

"Don't give me that crap!" snapped Tsunade.

Ino learned long ago that sometimes the best way to handle Tsunade was to stand up to her. "You are the one who wrote the rules of being a medical-nin and that includes privacy between patient and medical-nin. You said it yourself that it is a concept that even a hokage and elders cannot interfere with unless there is a criminal matter. Naruto has not broken the law so I am choosing to say as little as possible," said Ino with firmness and hope that she did not sound weak in front of her teacher.

"Give me a hint," ordered Tsunade.

"It's not physical and what is wrong with him has inadvertently caused grief to someone else," said Ino.

"It better not be the Fox causing trouble and you're trying to calm it down on your own," said Tsunade.

Ino shuddered where she stood. She did not consider the monster inside of Naruto. From a very safe distance she saw the Kyuubi attack Pain and it gave her nightmares for days. She had to be honest with herself and admit that she was too scared to consider it. "You'll be the first the to know," said Ino.

"Tell Kakashi and Yamato first if it comes to that," ordered Tsunade. "Can you at least tell me if he's sick."

"It's a complicated matter," said Ino choosing her words carefully. "A health problem might be curable."

"You said nothing is wrong with him physically," said Tsunade. Her eyes narrowed then went wide. "A mental condition."

Ino hid her surprise well enough. "His future as a ninja could be at risk. If it's not a disease then it's something else that I won't mention."

"An attack," said Tsunade.

"I won't confirm or deny that," said Ino. "It's too big of a risk to Naruto's mental health if we guess wrong and try a treatment."

Ino waited patiently showing how serious she was about the matter. A long minute passed for Ino. Tsuande took a pad and pen wrote a note. She put the Hokage's Stamp on it and handed the note to Ino. "What is in those records are also top secret. Say anything to anyone that is not pertinent to this case and being put through a wall will be the least of your worries."

Ino would not betray the confidence. Tsunade was obligated to warn Ino anyway. "I understand Tsunade-sama," said Ino.

xxxxx

Ino went to the hospital. She handed the old man in charge of medical records Tsunade's note. He raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. He went to a file cabinet and took out Naruto's folder. The folder was not as thick as Ino expected. Ino took the folder and went to a table in the room and sat down. The person in charge sat down across from her.

"What are you doing?" asked Ino with irritation.

"Standing orders concerning Naruto's file. I can't let you out of my sight," said the records keeper. He rolled up his sleeve and showed Ino a faded ANBU tattoo. "I am retired but will still do my duty if need be."

"I-I get it," said Ino.

Ino ignored the former ANBU agent as best as she could and started reading. A copy of Naruto's birth certificate was there. She frowned seeing that the names of Naruto's parents had been blacked out. A jutsu seal had been placed on top of the ink to make it look blurry. Even if the ink was somehow removed the names would still be blurred to the reader. Ino continued through the data trying to see any signs of mental diseases. Except for childhood diseases Naruto did not get sick. His healing ability and stamina was attributed to Kyuubi.

Ino held up a two page annotation note written by the Third Hokage. As she read it her fears came about. This was not about a disease. Naruto's memory loss was done intentionally and it affected more than Naruto's knowledge of Hinata. Ino had to put a stop to this before things got out of hand and for that she needed her father's help.

xxxxx

That night as dinner was being prepared Ino put on her 'princesses face'. Inoichi sat on the couch reading a newspaper. Ino plopped down beside him. "Daddy, I need a favor from you," said Ino as sweetly as possible.

"Nice try hime but you're no longer ten years old. That trick doesn't work on me," said Inoichi dryly.

"Had to try," sighed Ino. "I do need your help. I have a patient who's mind has been attacked."

Inoichi put down the newspaper. "How bad is it?" he asked becoming serious.

"Selective memory loss of a particular individual and perhaps memory manipulation with the result of not thinking of a doing a certain action," answered Ino.

"Perhaps isn't good enough. You know better than to make a guess at a mental condition. Anything can go wrong if you misdiagnose and go poking around someone's mind," said Inoichi. "Who's your patient?"

"Naruto," said Ino.

"Oh. . .him," said Inoichi without emotion. "To be honest I recommend against trying to help him. Who knows what that monster inside of him will do to you if it gets it's claws on your mind. I can't help him because I don't know him that well."

Shikamaru told Ino about their fathers conversation with Naruto when Naruto was looking for Pain's real body. If there was one thing about Inoichi is that his ego bruised easily. "I'm thinking of doing a cursory scan of his mind to see how bad the damage if. If need be there will be full mind dive," said Ino without reservation.

"A full mind dive!" shouted Inoichi. "You're not experienced enough for something like that!"

"That's why I need your help," said Ino. "You can act as the anchor and pull me out if anything goes wrong."

"It's not going to happen! You are forbidden from helping him!" yelled Inoichi.

"It's not only Naruto that's being affected! The memories that keeps getting erased or whatever are those about Hinata!" shot back Ino.

"Damn it, I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do," said Inoichi. "I'd be able to help if it wasn't for the Fox and I can't run the risk of that thing getting loose."

"Help him anyway," said Ino's mother who came out of the kitchen and heard their conversation.

Ino looked at her mother. She was pale and drawn. The mission she and father got back from must have took a lot out of her Ino thought to herself.

"To lose something important and not to even have any memory of it is worse than just having simple memory loss," she said.

"Ereko," said Inoichi.

Ereko was once a telepath of the highest order. Inoichi was the only one in the clan with more power than her. Sometime before Ino's graduation from the Academy tragedy struck Ereko and she lost all her mental abilities. She could still function as a ninja and still did B and C Rank missions once a month with Inoichi.

"Please help our daughter set this tragedy right," said Ereko who was almost in tears.

Inoichi closed his eyes for a moment. "If that is what you want."

"Thank you," said Ereko. She wiped the tears from her face and went went back to the kitchen.

"Who knows about this?" asked Inoichi.

"Hinata, Tsunade-sensei, and my teammates," said Ino.

"They'll be able to help. A full mind dive makes me cynical enough to know something will go wrong," said Inoichi.

"I'm going to do a simple scan of Naruto's mind to see how bad the damage is," said Ino. "If there is at least a mental outline of Hinata then something can be salvaged."

_**To be continued . . .**_

_Author's Note – The story goes AU in a way since the story takes place some time after Pain's attack on the village. In this story Tsunade wakes up early enough to dispose of Danzo before he reaches the Kage Meeting. Sasuke is still out there doing whatever and it's the calm before the storm concerning the upcoming war. These things have no real bearing on the story and are just mentioned to prevent any confusion about the flow events compared to canon._

_I always got the impression Ino's clan are more like telepaths(think Charles Xavier from X-Men) than genjutsu users. It's one of the reason why I chose Ino to the 'investigator'._

_'hime' is Japanese for 'princess'._


	3. Chapter 3

**Stolen Bonds**

by

Chad 'Graeystone' Harger

Chapter 3

xxxxx

Two days passed and Ino approached Naruto who was at the training area. She held a warm wooden carryout bowl filled with Ichiraku' finest ramen.

"Hello Naruto," Ino said to Naruto.

Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Uh oh," said Naruto out of fear of being assaulted again.

"I came by to apologize to you," said Ino. "Here is a peace offering."

Naruto smelled the ramen and his eyes lit up. "Forgiven!" he said taking the bowl.

Naruto sat down and leaned against a boulder. Ino sat down beside him.

"We've come a long way since the academy," said Ino.

Naruto shrugged as he ate. "I guess so," he said.

Ino caught the slight hesitation in his voice. The second attempt at getting Sasuke back ended in failure. Seeing Sakura's expression when they returned said it all. Ino pushed the thought aside. She could not dwell on her own feelings while Naruto was facing a crisis he has no knowledge of.

"Remember the Chunin Tests?" asked Ino. "Going into that building full of arrogance thinking we could take on the world. Throughout that test all I could think of was how can I cheat and get away with it."

"So how did you do it?" asked Naruto.

"Took over your teammate's mind," said Ino.

Naruto started to think about the test. Ino was waiting for that moment and attempted a slight scan of Naruto's memory. Naruto did not think about it for long so Ino could not get a good look. "At the time I thought Sasuke was an idiot. You took over Sakura's mind," laughed Naruto.

"You are not to tell her that," threatened Ino.

"My lips are sealed. . .but this is great ramen and it be would be bad -

"Blackmailing me for more ramen will only result in your broken body," warned Ino.

"Just a joke," said Naruto quickly.

"How did you cheat?" asked Ino.

"Did I cheat?" asked Naruto mainly to himself.

Ino saw Naruto's eyes flicker trying to remember which meant Hinata was somehow involved. This time Ino caught the memory. Ino saw the classroom from Naruto's eyes. The desperation he felt being unable to cheat. Naruto looked for an out to this impossible nightmare and each side of him were empty chairs. Nobody was sitting beside him. There was no outline or shadow of a woman named Hinata.

"Damn it," thought Ino to herself.

"What was that?" asked Naruto.

Ino chided herself for making a mistake. While linked to another mind her own thoughts would be the same as speaking out loud. Her early training in clan telepathy was suppressing her presence while in another person's mind.

"Nothing," said Ino.

"Could have sworn. . . .oh well. I didn't have to cheat," said Naruto with pride.

Ino found that hard to believe. That did not matter. She had to report what she discovered. "I have to get back to work," said Ino.

She stood up and walked away. She did not get far when she stopped and turned around. Her curiosity was eating at her. "How many questions did you answer?"

"You can't tell anyone," said Naruto with seriousness. "I'll tell Sakura what you did to her."

"Ok," said Ino.

"There was one line that I was able to fill out. Name – Uzumaki Naruto," said Naruto with a huge smile.

Ino's mouth fell open a little bit then she laughed. Of course it would be Naruto who possessed that kind of dumb luck.

xxxxx

Ino met her father, teammates, and Hinata in the Hokage's office.

"I talked to Naruto about the Chunin written test," said Ino. "That brought the memory close to the surface of his conscious mind and I scanned his memory."

"I sat next to him," said Hinata.

"I remember," continued Ino. "Naruto however doesn't. There isn't an outline or shadow of you sitting in that chair. That means total elimination of memory."

"We are here so it means an attack," said Shikamaru.

"Who would do something so terrible?" asked Tsunade.

"Wasn't there that one guy in ROOT," said Choji.

"Danzo. . .Fu," said Inoichi with anger. Fu was a member of ROOT and lost member of the Yamanaka clan. In a failed attempt to take over the village Danzo after being removed from the Hokage position, Danzo ordered ROOT to assassinate clan leaders and anyone else who stood against him. Inoichi personally put down Fu.

"As much as I'd like to blame Danzo for every misfortune that befell the village and its citizens we can't jump to conclusions," said Tsunade.

"That is correct sensai," said Ino. "If the culprit is still alive then we can deal with them." She looked at Hinata and smiled. "I will enter Naruto's mind and will access his memories to get rid of the problem. It will be a last ditch effort to recover the memories but there will no guarantee of recovery. I can fix the problem so Naruto will never lose memories to whatever is being used against him."

"What about us?" asked Choji.

"You will be there for moral support and in case something goes wrong," said Inoichi. "If something does happen we have to act fast. As the anchor I want my orders obeyed to the letter in an emergency. Tsundae-sama, I would like you to be there for first aid if it's needed."

"Um, can I enter Naruto's mind to?" asked Hinata out of the blue.

"This isn't a trip through the village," said Ino.

Inoichi chuckled and said, "It's fine. I knew she would ask so I'm prepared for it. Anchoring two minds is easy for me," said Inoichi. His expression became serious. "In her own way Hinata is also a victim."

"What about his other problem?" Tsunade asked Ino.

"His. . .other problem?" asked Hinata who was aghast that something else happened to her beloved.

"Memories of you is not the only focus of attack," said Ino. "There is another matter that will be explained before the mind dive which father and I set for tomorrow. It will done at Naruto's place because it is the most familiar and relaxing place for him."

xxxxx

Naruto ate a quick ramen lunch at his usual haunt then headed home to take a short nap before returning to work in the reconstruction of the village. Approaching his apartment building he spotted Tsunade sitting on the stoop.

"Granny," said Naruto with surprise.

"Come inside," said Tsunade.

Naruto knew whatever was going to happen would be bad news. He followed her inside and to his surprise Team 10 was there along with Inoichi and a Hyuuga girl he did not recognize. "What's going on?" he asked.

"You have a serious problem," said Inoichi while adjusting a device on the dinner table that permitted the telepath's of his clan to fully enter a person's mind without having to use blunt force like they would against an enemy.

"You'll want to sit down for this," said Tsunade.

"You have been attacked in a terrible manner. At some point in your life your mind has been invaded twice," said Ino after Naruto sat down.

Naruto put a hand over his stomach where the seal was. "Was it to get to the Fox?" he asked.

"No," said Ino to which Naruto breathed with relief. "The attacks appear to be of a personal level. It has caused you to forget someone and to prevent you from preforming an action."

"Who did I forget?" asked Naruto.

"Look around you," answered Ino.

Naruto of course knew Tsunade the Fifth Hokage. Shikamaru, Choji and of course Ino from Ten 10. His eyes then saw the Hyuuga woman. He could not place her in any memories. There was nothing at all including any sense of deja vu. "It's you isn't it."

Hinata just nodded with a mix of sadness and relief. She was relieved he figured out she was the one he forgotten and saddened he could not remember. She wanted to say something to Naruto. Ino warned them not to say anything because he would forget.

"Her name is Hinata," said Ino. "You two have an interesting. . .past."

Naruto's interest was piqued. "Did we date?"

Hinata's face turn beet red and Ino's teammates stifled a laugh. Ino ignored the stifled laughs and said, "It wouldn't matter if I told you. You'd forget and I want to fix that. The other attack on your mind has to do with your parents."

"My. . .parents," said Naruto.

Ino talked to Tsunade about the matter on their way to Naruto's. Ino asked if this had been done to Naruto by whoever sealed the Kyuubi to prevent Naruto from finding out about his parents. Tsunade who had a quick answer for just about anything became oddly silent. She finally said that the person who sealed the Fox inside of Naruto knew his parents had a lot of enemies. To protect Naruto from those enemies who could care less about the Kyuubi, wanted revenge against the boy's parents and would kill the boy if they ever found out his heritage. The person who did the sealing asked the Third to keep the names of his parents a secret. Tsunade, who was in her self imposed exile during the Kyuubi attack, figured the person who sealed the Kyuubi took steps to protect the boy from those enemies but would not go so far as to preform a jutsu that would prevent Naruto from asking about his parent.

"Were there times you inquired about the identity of your parents?" Ino now asked Naruto.

"Sure," said Naruto. "When I was seven me and a bunch of other kids who became orphans because of that bastard were told by Gramps that if we wanted to find out about our parents he would do investigations for us. I forgot to go that day. There were other times I wanted to ask him and later Granny but I never followed through." Naruto's eyes went wide with understanding. "Damn it!"

"What we are going to do is what my clan calls a mind dive," explained Ino. "Together with Hinata, who is in effect a victim also because your memories of her were erased, will link our conscious minds to your. Together we will find the cause of the memory loss and the blocks that prevent you from trying to find out about your parents."

"I will act as the anchor," said Inoichi. "My purpose will be that as a tether that will keep Ino and Hinata close to you while in your mind. That way they will not accidentally wander off or get lost while in the labyrinth of another person's mind in case any of you are separated from the group. In case anything goes wrong I will also be the one to pull the ladies out of your mind."

Naruto's mouth slowly opened in disbelief as the procedure was explained to him. Hinata asked if he was alright. The memories of her were already gone in just a few minutes. "Are you people kidding me!" yelled Naruto. "There's no way I'm letting anyone into my mind ever again!"

"Calm down," ordered Shikamaru.

Naruto stood up and brushed passed Shikamaru. Shikamaru went to stop Naruto. "Shikamaru, don't," said Inoichi as he stood up. "I'll take care of this matter."

xxxxx

Naruto ran down the empty street for a couple of blocks. Naruto was alone. The surrounding area was evacuated by Tsunade. She said it was for security reasons. The truth was that if the worst case scenario did happen and the Kyuubi emerged innocent bystanders would not be caught up in the demon's destruction. Kakashi and Yamato were hiding near Naruto's apartment just in case. Naruto stopped to catch his breath and collect his thoughts.

"There you are," said Inoichi. "Thought you were going to run further away than this."

"Don't try to convince me to let Ino-chan unblock my inability to find out about my parents!" said Naruto.

Inoichi was surprised Naruto already forgot about Hinata but did not comment on it. Instead Inoichi looked at Naruto with the expression of a person who had seen way too much. More than any one person should. "Do you think you are that special?"

Naruto heard the cold, dark undertone of Inoichi's use of the word 'special'. Naruto looked back at Inoichi with an inquisitive expression.

"Ten rapists, fifteen murderers, three serial killers, eight pedophiles, and six traitors," said Inoichi. "Those are the kind of minds I had the misfortune of mind diving in order to get the truth of their crimes out. I still have nightmares of what I have seen in those kind of minds. People who suffer from narcissism and megalomania are more. . .palpable than the criminals I've had to deal with. Again, are you that special?"

"My mind has been messed with enough as it is by other people," said Naruto. "I'm sick of it!"

"Quit evading the question," said Inoichi.

"I'm not like those criminals and you know it!" yelled Naruto.

"Then what is the problem?" asked Inoichi. "Everyone I've helped has always balked at the idea of a mind dive and used the same excuse you did. The Naruto I know of doesn't run away from anything."

Naruto sighed and said, "My mind. . .my mind is. . .a depressing place. Sure I always look confident but-

"That's alright," interrupted Inoichi. "The truth is people's minds are a mess no matter who they are. Ino won't judge you and neither will I. Besides you've helped so many people it's time some of us return the favor. I can't force you to do this but I can't guarantee whatever form of attack that was used against won't spread to your other memories. You forgot Hinata when it's only been a couple of minutes."

"I keep forgetting about someone?" asked Naruto.

"Yes," said Inoichi.

Naruto closed his eyes. He loved his precious people more than anyone capable. To forget about them was something Naruto never considered. He had a sudden epiphany that losing those memories was more frightening than anything else including the Kyuubi taking over.

"Let's go fix my brain," said Naruto with his usual confidence.

"That's more like the Naruto everyone knows," laughed Inoichi.

xxxxx

Inochi worked on the machine some more. "Naruto, Hinata, Ino, it's time," he said. He held six leads in his hand and handed two to the girls and Naruto. "Naruto, Hinata, place these on your temples."

"What are they for?" asked Hinata.

"As you know genjutsu uses the five senses and taking over the target's chakra to manipulate their perceptions and mind. Telepathy however skips the senses and excess chakra manipulation and goes straight for the mind and chakra that resides in the brain," explained Ino. She brushed her hair back and attached her leads to her temples. "These leads will connect us mentally in the same direct fashion with Naruto's mind."

"Could the attack on my mind be from telepathy?" asked Naruto.

"Could be," said Inoichi. "There are jutsus that exist that you can't begin to imagine. It is possible there are other telepaths in the world."

After attaching the leads Ino placed her hands on the table. "Get as comfortable and relaxed as possible," she instructed.

Hinata sat up straight and fold her hands on her lap. Naruto reverting to the old his habit of being restless and unable to sit still. After a minute he slumped in his chair a bit and folded his arms across his chest.

"Are you sure you're relaxed yet?" asked Tsunade sarcastically.

"Yes," said Naruto after stretching his legs out.

"Slowly focus a small bit of chakra through the leads," said Inoichi in a soft comforting voice.

The leads starting from their temples glowed blue. The blue glow flowed into the device. Light on the device lit up. "Good, you are reading to synch and enter Naruto's mind. Naruto, breathe in and out at a regular pace. Hinata try to match his pace like Ino is doing."

When Inoichi was satisfied their breathing was matched he said, "Now look at something that is white in front of you. Stare at it with as little blinking as possible."

Naruto who faced his kitchen stared at his white refrigerator. Hinata stared at the white paper Sai used to draw the new Team 7. Ino looked at the photo of the original Team 7 and stared at a cloud. Inoichi softly told the three to keep relaxed and to focus. Naruto and Hinata flinched as the white they were looking at started to spread. Inoichi told them it was normal and told them not to panic and to let it happen and not to be distracted.

The white spread out to the areas they were staring at. Inoichi's words became more and more distance. Hinata felt goosebumps as she felt herself being drawn toward Naruto even though she was not moving. Naruto's body tingled as he felt the presences of Hinata and Ino coming at him. Then Inoichi's voice faded away as everything went completely white.

_**To be continued. . .**_

_Author's Notes – I consider this chapter to the be the 'Filler/Blah Chapter That's Necessary To Move The Plot Along.' I hope I explained the differences between Genjutsu and Telepathy good enough. There was a scene I left out where Naruto and the girls are supposed to hold hands as part of the initial preparation for the mind dive. Naruto thinks to himself how cool it is he's holding hands with two hot women. Like it was revealed earlier that when minds are linked, thoughts are the same as words and the connected group 'hears' Naruto's thought. Ino almost crushes Naruto's hand in a tsundere moment, Hinata blushes, and Inoichi 'mentally pokes' Naruto for having the perverted thought. It was supposed to be a moment of humor but I couldn't get the wording right so I left it out._

_On the matter of Naruto's inability to find out about his parents, it's one of those things that bothered me. At some point Naruto had to ask Hiruzen about them. Granted Hiruzen would have skirted the issue with some excuse or lie. Why Kishi never covered that in the manga is something I don't know. Whether or not the two attacks are related or not is something to be revealed later._

_Next chapter a potential culprit to one or both crimes will be reveled. _


End file.
